West Ham United continue their 2024/25 Premier League campaign with a home clash against fellow Londoners Chelsea on Saturday.
The Hammers came from behind to earn a precious Premier League point at Fulham, with substitute Danny Ings climbing off the bench to fire in a second-half stoppage time equaliser in a 1-1 draw.
This weekend's derby will give Julen Lopetegui's players opportunities to make themselves worthy Fantasy Premier League (FPL) picks in the Hammers' third London derby in their opening five top-flight matches.
In the last ten matches against Chelsea across all competitions played at the Boleyn Ground and London Stadium, West Ham have won six times. Chelsea have won just two, while two have ended in draws, so there are plenty of reasons for FPL managers to cast an eye over Hammers.
Both sides will be full of individuals looking to provide the touch of magic required to make the difference on the day, meaning there are a number of Fantasy Premier League (FPL) decisions to be made in the lead up to kick-off.
The Gameweek Five transfer deadline is set for 11am on Saturday 21 September ahead of a mouth-watering feast of weekend action that begins with our clash against Enzo Maresca's Blues in E20.
While we will be giving you FPL tips and tricks throughout the remainder of the 2024/25 season on whufc.com, see below for some of our picks for the upcoming round.
Also, don't forget to join the Official West Ham United FPL League by entering the code tezfax...
For the next fixture, all eyes are on Michail Antonio…
Antonio, Antonio, Antonio!
With Niclas Füllkrug’s current injury state unknown, it is expected that Michail Antonio (£5.5m) could continue lead the line for West Ham on Saturday. In 13 appearances for the Hammers against Chelsea, the 34-year-old has been on the winning side on seven occasions and has scored in three of them, most recently in the Irons’ 3-1 triumph at London Stadium in August 2023.
He has registered seven FPL points so far this season and can get off the mark against the Blues in Saturday's early kick-off.
Elsewhere, Jarrod Bowen (£7.5m) is always worth consideration by FPL managers when wearing the Claret and Blue jersey and is a reliable source for all-important points. The West Ham captain has collected 20 points from the Hammers’ opening four Premier League games, scoring two goals and provided Ings with a crucial assist in our 1-1 draw at Fulham last weekend.
And if you fancy a real wildcard pick, why not gamble on last week's goalscorer Danny Ings (£5.0m), who collected eight points for his matchsaving performance at Craven Cottage?
Opposition Watch: Chelsea
Ahead of the 2024/25 Premier League campaign, Cole Palmer (£10.6m) rose by a record-breaking £5.5m in FPL after his sensational breakthrough 2023/24 campaign, when he went on to top the player standings with an outstanding 244 points.
His stats were incredible. He produced 22 goals and 13 assists, while delivering ten double-figure returns across the season, only blanking just once in his 13 starts at Stamford Bridge and registering a return in 15 out of 17 games away from home.
The 22-year-old has continued in the same form this campaign, having picked up 28 points in his first four matches of the new season under new boss Maresca, scoring once and supplying four assists.
Nicolas Jackson's (£7.6 m) adaptation to a new team and the Premier League was not without some bumps in the road, but after understanding both the physical demands of playing 90 minutes week after week in England’s top-flight, he went on to score 14 goals in an impressive debut Premier League campaign. He, like Palmer, has started the new season in red-hot form, with two goals and an assist from Chelsea’s opening four league matches, which has seen him earn 17 points.
